Catching Freedom

The rankings below are independent from the "Road to the GI Kentucky Derby" leaderboard that Churchill Downs uses to determine starting berths. In addition, several horses listed here could be aiming for other Triple Crown races. 1) MUTH (c, Good Magic--Hoppa, by Uncle Mo) 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Zedan Racing Stables Inc; B-Don Alberto Corporation (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP; $2,000,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR. Lifetime Record: MGISW, 6-4-2-0, $1,504,100. Last start: WON Mar. 30 GI Arkansas Derby. Right now there's a court showdown in Kentucky initiated by...

With only three weeks remaining until the 150th running of the GI Kentucky Derby, Catching Freedom (Constitution), Endlessly (Oscar Performance), Mystik Dan (Goldencents) and Common Defense (Karakontie {Jpn}) continued their training towards the Run for the Roses with published workouts Saturday morning at Churchill Downs. Soon after the track opened at 5:30 a.m., GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom was the first Derby contender to work when he went a solo half-mile in :48 (14/123). "He's had very steady training the last five, six weeks," trainer Brad Cox said....

The GII Louisiana Derby runner-up GSW Honor Marie (Honor Code) and fourth-place finisher GSW Track Phantom (Quality Road) returned to the work tab Sunday morning at Churchill Downs as they continue to train towards Kentucky Derby 150. In the early hours, Track Phantom breezed five furlongs in 1:02.00, the ninth fastest of 19 on the morning while sporting new equipment--a small set of blinkers. With Joel Rosario in the irons, the pair went in company with another Asmussen trainee and Track Phantom galloped out six furlongs in 1:15.20. "I thought...

Albaugh Family Stable's GII TwinSpires.com Louisiana Derby winner Catching Freedom (Constitution) began his preparations for the GI Kentucky Derby with a half-mile move in :48.40 early Friday morning at Churchill Downs, the track said in a release. Trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old worked at 5:30 a.m. ET with exercise rider Edvin Vargas in the saddle. The duo cruised through an opening quarter-mile in :24 and galloped out five furlongs in 1:01.20. "He's settled in nicely since we shipped him back to Churchill from Fair Grounds," Cox said. "He was...

On this week's TDN Writers' Room, trainer Brad Cox reviews a long list of weekend winners, plus Arkansas Derby-bound Timberlake.

We all know how hard it is to stand a turf horse in Kentucky today. For the minority of breeders sufficiently enlightened to offer such sires some commercial viability, moreover, the reel snapped a couple of years ago with the loss of Kitten's Joy and English Channel within months of each other. Happily, it has not taken long to cast a new leading man. Oscar Performance has delivered his lines confidently from the first take. In fact, he has even improved on the script--his leading earner, to this point, being...

Eyeballing the quarter pole in Saturday's GII Louisiana Derby, it may have seemed that the Albaugh Family's Catching Freedom (Constitution) had far too much to do to even get a piece of it. However, what seemed like a foregone conclusion to some proved nothing more than a fleeting illusion as the colt closed by leaps and bounds to get up just in time to win by 1 1/4 lengths, earning 100 Kentucky Derby points in the process. Breaking from the 12 hole, GIII Lecomte S. scorer Track Phantom (Quality Road)...

Trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed that GIII Southwest S. winner Mystik Dan (Goldencents) is pointing for the GI Arkansas Derby Mar. 30. McPeek said Mystik Dan returned to the Fair Grounds shortly after his eight-length victory in the Southwest, which was postponed a week because of winter weather. According to McPeek, the 21-day return to the GII Rebel S. factored into McPeek's decision to train Mystik Dan up to the Arkansas Derby. McPeek originally sent Mystik Dan to the Fair Grounds to prepare for the Southwest after arctic temperatures, snow and...

The Road to the Kentucky Derby heats up further still on Saturday, as the $400,000 GII Risen Star S. is the first of six prep races that will offer the winner 50 points, virtually locking up a berth in the field for the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs on May 4. Track Phantom (Quality Road) will look to continue his domination among the local 3-year-olds as he looks to remain unbeaten around two turns in trying to add to his victories in the Dec. 23 Gun Runner S....

As if ranking the contenders for the GI Kentucky Derby isn't enough of a challenge in and of itself, the crystal ball-gazing becomes even more hazy when you factor in the ban imposed by Churchill Downs, Inc., on trainees from Bob Baffert's stable (click here for a more detailed writeup on this subject). Even though the official Derby qualifying points leaderboard omits those horses, TDN's Top 12 will continue to include them for the time being on the basis that 1) the situation could change; 2) the performances of those...

To get his new business off the ground--or at least out of the basement of his house in Iowa--Dennis Albaugh took out an SBA loan of $10,000. "Against the house," he says. "Had to talk my wife into that. Then I bought an old tanker and, my first trip out, I loaded up with chemicals headed for South Dakota. And all the way up there I'm thinking, 'Hey, this is really a good truck.' It just runs a little better all the way up. I get there, I get out,...

We're inside the 120-day mark for the 150th GI Kentucky Derby, and the pecking order is hazily taking shape. There's a speculative, forward-thinking element (read: lots of guesswork) built into the equation, with the goal of projecting how these still-developing horses will blossom over the next four months. Get tied on and enjoy the ride. 1) NYSOS (c, Nyquist--Zetta Z, by Bernardini) 'TDN Rising Star' O-Baoma Corp; B-Susie Atkins (KY); T-Bob Baffert. Sales history: $130,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $150,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $550,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR. Lifetime Record: GSW, 2-2-0-0,...